From coast to coast, a large share of the nation's – and even the president's – political attention has been focused on suburban Atlanta and the most expensive House race in history.

It's all coming to a head on Tuesday.

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Voters will decide Georgia's special election between Democrat Jon Ossoff and Republican Karen Handel, a race seen as an early bellwether in how the makeup of Congress could change during next year's midterms.

Here's what you need to know.

The candidates

Jon Ossoff: The 30-year-old has never been a candidate for office before this race, but Ossoff is no political neophyte. He was a senior national security staffer to Rep. Hank Johnson (D-Ga.) before heading a company that produces investigative films on political corruption, crime and international issues, including work for the Al Jazeera network – a fact his opponents have seized on. He backs many flashpoint Democratic causes, including Obamacare, though he has tried to cast his message in a centrist light.

Karen Handel: Running as a staunch conservative in a district where that normally plays well, Handel is relying on her extensive record in both public and private life. She touts her success with balancing in the budget as chairman of the Fulton County Board of Commissioners and becoming Georgia's first elected Republican Secretary of State. Handel calls Obamacare "the single biggest intrusion into the lives of Americans in decades." She unsuccessfully ran for Senate in 2014.

Why so special?

The seat was recently vacated by new Health and Human Services Secretary Tom Price, who was the wealthy district's representative for more than a decade. Ossoff won the April open special election, but with 48.1 percent of the vote, he came short of the 50 percent threshold needed to win outright. Handel was second, with 19.8 percent as the Republican vote was split between a wealth of candidates. The results moved the top two vote-getters to Tuesday's runoff.

Money matters

No House race has ever been this costly, with more than $50 million being spent between candidates, parties and political groups. The majority of the funds are being spent of television ads, though millions are also being going to ground game efforts. The previous record-holder was the 2012 race between Rep. Allen West and former Rep. Patrick Murphy in Palm Beach County, Fla., which saw $29.6 million in spending.

Too close to call

A poll from late last week gave Ossoff a lead of less than two percent, well within the margin of error. That's in line with most of the polls released in the closing weeks of the race. "It's a dead heat, neck and neck, and is all about turnout," Handel told Atlanta's WSB-TV.

Early voter turnout 'unprecedented'

More than 140,300 ballots were cast by the end of the early-voting period Friday

– a 150 percent increase from April's vote – the Atlanta Journal-Constitution reports. "It's unprecedented for this type of election to see this voter turnout for early voting," said Richard Barron, a Fulton County election official. The district has about 530,000 registered voters.

The ramifications

The seat has been in Republican hands since 1979, when former Speaker Newt Gingrich started a two-decade run. If Ossoff brings the district back under the Democratic umbrella, the national takeaway likely will be that the election is a sign that voters are dissatisfied with Republican lawmakers and by proxy Trump's presidency, giving confidence to Democrats that more Congressional seats can be flipped. Previous special elections in Kansas and Montana were won by Republican candidates.

Trump gives Handel a hand

President Trump has urged voters to back the Republican candidate, tweeting Monday morning that "the Dems want to stop tax cuts, good health care and Border Security. Their Obamacare is dead with 100% increases in [premiums]. Vote now for Karen H."

The Dems want to stop tax cuts, good healthcare and Border Security.Their ObamaCare is dead with 100% increases in P's. Vote now for Karen H